The Great American Bash... WCW's last true chance to really spike the ratings in this war of the federations. A good surprise will allow wrestling fans to want to watch much more of WCW, but a bad surprise will lose fans, and then it will slow down Russo's quest to gain any ground. It all comes down to tonight for WCW! This is the Phat Daily Column.

WWF

The Rock's great Saturday Night Live hosting was replayed last night, and although I'm not the biggest Rock fan in the world, I truly do appreciate his performance on that show. Other actors will bust out laughing or only do it to promote a movie, but the Rock put a lot of heart into it, knowing that it was big for the wrestling industry...which it was. That performance alone opened up many doors for not only the Rock, but professional wrestling as well. Every show, nowadays, is asking for an appearance by a WWF superstar. Wrestlers are all over the radio airwaves as well, and entertainment complexes are thrilled when they know they have a wrestler making an appearance. But the Rock's performance on SNL will be forever immortalized not only in the wrestling world, but for Saturday Night Lives, because that was one of the best ever!

There is no recent word on if Val Venis is hurt or not, but my gosh, looking back, he took a rough splash by Rikishi. Rikishi Phatu, who is NOT Yokozuna but a former member of the Samoan Swat Team and the Headshrinkers, did his former trademark splash, but only on Val Venis 10 feet(I say 7 feet) in the air. I can just remember his days at Fatu when he'd splash the hell out of another wrestler. With the ring, he went full force so that he would literally bounce off his opponent. So you can just imagine a heavier Fatu landing on someone from a higher distance and on the floor. Ouch.

WCW

So what will be the surprise? Let's again look at the possibilities. It's being said that WCW has offered Paul Heyman a deal to make a surprise appearance, but he'll take only a 7 figure deal to appear, which means he needs the money to pay his wrestlers! Could it be the return of some legends, like Roddy Piper or Macho Man Randy Savage? Could it be SFX officially become the WCW owner tonight? How about the reformation of the NWO, which in my opinion, would be a MAJOR disappointment. Maybe a Bill Goldberg heel turn? The possibilities are endless, and I'll present my predictions on the surprise after the predictions for the matches. But first....

Thanks to ThunderJakked for sending that wonderful piece in for tonight's show. On to the match predictions!

Cruiserweight Title Match: Lt. Loco Chavo Guerrero vs. Disco InfernoChavo just wins this title on Thunder, and he's immediately thrown on the Pay Per View to defend this title! Disco seems to have lost a lot of respect in the ring these days, and Chavo has the ability to be a great champ. Of course, my gut feeling is that Disco will win this title because Russo loves doing corny things like this, but then again, maybe Chavo can help put a name for this title once again. I'll go with the smart decision.Tito's Pick: Lt. Chavo

#1 Contender Match: Kronic vs. the MamalukesI feel bad for the Mamalukes. They were pretty decent world tag team champs during their time, and they should be a good asset for WCW in the future. But all hope for this team will be smashed by Kronic, who are both injury prone, stiff shot giving, and no selling wrestlers.Tito's Pick: Kronic

Boot Camp Match: GI Bro Booker T vs. Shawn StasiakHow much money would WCW take to change GI Bro's name back to Booker T? *Tito gets out his checkbook* Anyway, Booker T seems to be on a roll lately in WCW with his stupid gimmick, and I think that Russo and Bischoff are starting to reward him(finally) because by taking this GI Bro gimmick, he's proved to them to be one of the best team players. Wow, they finally notice this now!!! Besides, Stasiak is a "tag wrestler" now.Tito's Pick: Booker T

Asylum Match: Tank Abbott vs. Scott SteinerAlthough I feel Tank Abbott is worthless, Russo is very high on this man. Therefore, this match will be one to put Tank "back on the map" at WCW. You can bet that Rick will have a hand in this somewhere, and poor Scott Steiner will have his fans feeling sorry for him because he lost. Hey, maybe Steiner will be in the Sharpshooter, and he can passout from bleeding to death!Tito's Pick: Tank Abbott

The Wall vs. the "Franchise" Shane DouglasThis match seemed to lost a lot of attention lately, and I guess it's because the Wall was missing for a while? Maybe injured, who knows? This match currently has NO heat generated for it, but Shane Douglas is further in the storylines, therefore the victor.Tito's Pick: Shane Douglas

Ambulance Match: Mike Awesome vs. Diamond Dallas PageI just have this feeling that Kanyon will show up for this match and help DDP win. Then again, if he has the halo on, Mike Awesome could grab it and swing it around just like Shane Douglas did to Pitbull #1 back in 1996 at ECW. Now that was brutal, and at the time, pissed off lots of ECW fans. Don't be surprised if WCW tries it tonight! I say DDP wins this match, even though some would say he wouldn't because of the clean win during the tag match on NitroTito's Pick: DDP

Human Torch Match: Sting vs. VampiroSince we aren't allowed to call it the "Inferno" match(thanks WWF). A few weeks ago, I would have picked Vampiro to win this match because it's the THIRD pay per view in a row which they have fought at. Instead, I'm going to pick Sting just because lately, he's shown that he can still go, even at his age. He beat the living hell out of Jeff Jarrett Monday Night, so I'm going with Sting so that he can finally move on here..so can Vampiro. US title anyone?Tito's Pick: Sting

Hogan vs. Billy KidmanThis is the first sign of real trouble by WCW. I'm very sure that Hulk Hollywood FUNB Hogan will win this match, and then move on to win the World Title at the next event. There's no question, because Hogan will NEVER retire from wrestling. That injured leg will have to fall off before he retires. Nuff said, as bad times are coming so soon. Might as well hop in a time machine to 1999 or 1998...it would be cheaper.Tito's Pick: Hogan

Ric Flair vs. David FlairIf Ric loses, which he will, it's retirement to him. What better way to go out than with your own son, who absolutely sucks in the squared circle, pinning your shoulders to the mat. Besides, Ric Flair's shoulder is very injured at this point, and surgery is a must for him. Poor guy...last two losses: to his son David, and to Vince Russo. Damn shame.Tito's Pick: Ric Flair

Jeff Jarrett vs. Kevin NashOh God, let's play "Who Wants to Be WCW Champ". I guess the fact that Kevin Nash actually works out now and that he has his drive back to wrestle will enable him to do whatever. I think that Scott Hall, a possible surprise contender, might help Nash win this title. Something strange will happen in this match, which makes me think that this is where the surprise is!Tito's Pick: Kevin Nash

THE SURPRISE: I don't think it will be one big surprise, but a few scattered out. I'm thinking a Scott Hall return, Goldberg turn, and a possible reformation of the NWO. At this point, even WCW isn't sure about what they will be doing tonight, and that's sad, considering that they must deliver from the hype given.

@That's all for this edition. I'll be back tomorrow with the headlines of this event, and the wonderful Monday Night Hype. Enjoy Great American Bash, and just chill till the next episode!